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By the end of this guide, you’ll have an MCP server monitor verifying that your AI tool server starts, connects over the Model Context Protocol, and exposes the expected tools.
  • DevHelm CLI installed or an API token for REST calls
  • An API token set as DEVHELM_API_TOKEN — see Authentication
  • An MCP server package (e.g., published to npm) or a command that starts one

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Create the monitor

1

Create the MCP server monitor

devhelm monitors create \
  --name "My MCP Server" \
  --type MCP_SERVER \
  --command npx \
  --args "@my-org/mcp-server" \
  --frequency 300 \
  --regions us-east
2

Verify it's running

devhelm monitors list --type MCP_SERVER
devhelm monitors get <monitor-id>
3

Check results

Results show whether the MCP server started, connected, and listed its capabilities.
devhelm monitors checks <monitor-id> --limit 5

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Add assertions

Verify that the MCP server exposes the tools and resources you expect: 
monitors:
  - name: My MCP Server
    type: MCP_SERVER
    config:
      command: npx
      args:
        - "@my-org/mcp-server"
    frequencySeconds: 300
    regions:
      - us-east
    assertions:
      - config:
          type: mcp_connects
        severity: fail
      - config:
          type: mcp_tool_available
          toolName: search
        severity: fail
      - config:
          type: mcp_tool_count
          minTools: 3
        severity: warn
Key MCP assertions:
TypeWhat it checks
mcp_connectsServer starts and completes the MCP handshake
mcp_tool_availableA specific tool is listed in the server’s capabilities
mcp_tool_countServer exposes at least N tools
mcp_resource_availableA specific resource is available
mcp_startup_timeServer starts within a time threshold
For the full list, see MCP Server configuration.

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How it works

Each check cycle:
  1. DevHelm starts the MCP server using the configured command and args
  2. Connects via the Model Context Protocol (stdio transport)
  3. Requests the server’s tool and resource listings
  4. Evaluates assertions against the response
  5. Terminates the server process
Environment variables in env are passed to the server process. Use DevHelm secrets (${VAR} syntax) to avoid storing credentials in config files.

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Next steps

MCP Server reference

Full configuration and assertion details.

First alert

Get notified when your MCP server fails.

MCP Server SDK

Use DevHelm as an MCP server in AI agents.